This invention relates generally to mechanisms for feeding elongated bodies such as beams, timbers, planks and boards individually and periodically from an unseparated layer of such bodies to an outbound conveyor system.
In a finishing saw mill, for example, it is frequently necessary to position a series of wood boards on a conveyor with the boards more or less evenly spaced apart. In this way, the spaced apart boards can be transported by a conveyor, such as a multi-chain conveyor, to a work station wherein a trimming, facing or other finishing operation can be performed on each board, one at a time, and in relatively rapid sequence. This invention has to do with an improved board feeding apparatus for separating and dealing individual boards of widely varying lengths and widths from an uninterrupted layer or mat of such boards to an outbound conveyor.
Broadly speaking, such mechanisms have long been known and used in the prior art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,976 issued to E. Ritola on Aug. 7, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,524 issued to A. Rysti on Mar. 7, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,135 issued to N. Pyykonen on Nov. 2, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,785 issued to M. C. Tourtellotte on May 11, 1965; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,234 issued to E. W. De Koning on Apr. 18, 1961. A problem encountered particularly with the Ritola and Rysti mechanisms is that they can not deal effectively with boards of widely varying widths. Moreover, none of subject mechanisms can deal effectively with boards having widely varying lengths. For example, boards dealt by the De Koning machine must be at least be slightly longer than the space between two adjacent ones of the reference stops 60 plus the transverse offset distance between one of the stops 60 and the nearest one of the wheels 70. Also, boards short enough to engage only two of the reference stops 60 and two corresponding offset wheels 70 must be carefully positioned on the inbound conveyor. Moreover, the mechanism of De Koning is complicated by the fact that the system for dealing individual boards from a mat of boards requires three separate sets of chain conveyors, namely, an inbound conveyor 44, a holding conveyor 10, and an outbound conveyor 12. Clearly, these three conveyors must be carefully synchronized relative to one another.
By means of the present invention, these and other problems encountered in prior art board separating and dealing machines are substantially eliminated.